Our Sponsors

The Purple Rose Theatre Company will present a lecture called “Backstage with Beethoven: A closer look at the music of 33 Variations with Dr. William Kinderman” at the Chelsea District Library on Saturday, April 13, 10:30 a.m.

Free and open to everyone, the event will allow the community to gain deeper insight into the theatre company’s production of the play 33 Variations by Moisés Kaufman.

33 Variations will run at the Purple Rose March 28 – June 1, 2013.

Kinderman, a professor of musicology and pianist from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana is one of the world’s foremost authorities on Beethoven and his Diabelli Variations.

He will present a lecture, supplemented with demonstration on the piano, of the music that is central to the play 33 Variations.

In addition, he’ll provide insight on and perform various sections of the Diabelli Variations — exploring Beethoven’s response to the waltz. The presentation will shed light on how the play arose as an exploration of Beethoven’s creative process, illustrating the connections between the play itself and Beethoven’s world.

A question and answer session with the audience will follow the presentation.

As part of the theatre company’s ongoing partnership with the library, the lecture will take place in the McKune Room.

“Backstage with Beethoven” has been generously underwritten by Lake Trust Credit Union, with additional support from the Chelsea Comfort Inn & Village Conference Center, and the library.

Kinderman also will lead a short discussion with audience members following the 3 p.m. matinee of 33 Variations on Saturday, April 13, at the Purple Rose Theatre. This discussion will be free and open to audience members who attend the matinee performance.